Huntsville gazette., 1887-03-19
THE 'TERRENEyAUGHs. \
How They Go Sailing Out of ST.
Malo Bay.
Imposing Ceremonies of Simple Breton
Sailors Who Annually "Go Down to
the Sea In Ships" and Often
Never Return.

On a granite rock in the English
Channel, at the mouth of the tidal
River Rance, the bluest and most beau
tiful stream in all France, stands the
walled town of st. Malo, once the chief
commercial city of Brittany. Every
spring fleet of taut little brig-rigged
fishing vessels sails out of St. Malo,
bound for the Grand Banks of New
foundland, to share with the men of
the Canada coast, and the New Eng
land fishermen from Cape Cod and
Gloucester, the catch of cod that swarm
in those waters. These little vessels,
scarce larger than the mackerel schoon-
ers that daily float in and out of Boston
harbor, are absent from France from
March till late in the autumn. The
dangers they encounter in fogs and
storms on the Banks are many, and
widows and fatherless children are
numerous along the Breton coast.
Considering, therefore, the great
peril to which. their husbands, sons
and brothers and sweethearts are to be
exposed, it is not surprising that the
departure of the Terrenevaughs is the
great event of the year along the
Breton coast.
From their scattered winter quarters
in the harbors and coves along the
rocky shore, and from the villages on
the banks of the Rance, the vessels
come together in St. Malo Bay by the
afternoon of the Sunday nearest the
spring tide, the day always fixed for
departure 1t would be hard to imag-
inc d scene Of greater local interest
The numerous vessels lie at anchor a
few hundred yards from the mainland,
while hundreds of smaller craft of
every description, independent of the
regularly organized tenders, ply inces-
sanity between the little fleet and the
shore, bringing on board the crew,
with their outfits.
The noise of the mates and captains,
giving hoarse orders through their
speaking trumpets, the shouts of sailors
hailing recognized comrades on board
of neighboling barks, and the ever
shifting groups of prettily attired
Breton maids and matrons assembled
on the long, eurving quay, and the
rocks and cliffs, to see, some
of them for the last time, the
faces of their loved ones, forms a scene
at once picturesque and sympathetic.
The time comes for the last leave
taking to be over, and the last fearful
adieu to be spoken, for at an appointed
hour every man of the fleet, nearly
four thousand men in all, must be on
board. eAay~ mp
At a given signal the white sails, like
the pinions of sea-gulls, are spread 10
the winds, the anchor is raised, every
flag is dipped, and the vessels are
headed westward, whilst the crews,
with uncovered heads, as the sound OF
saluting cannon from the SOlidor
Tower dies away, raise their voices in
farewell hymn: 'Ave Maris Stellar
Then, with slow and regular move
ments, the Terrenevaughs sweep out
into the ocean and gradually fade away
from the sight Of wives and children,
who look them last adieu. Not until
the leaves on the great forest of Pom
tual that shelter many of their thatch-
rooted cottages begin to turn to red
and yellow hues, do any tidings come
to the waiting women of their ''bread-
winners" .far away ON the billow,' for
ignorance of the mysteries of writing
is an inheritance of the Breton fisher
men.
The wages earned by these toilers OF
the sea are scant enough. Their pay
ranges from twelve dollars to fifteen
dollars month. But for the assistance
of their sturdy wives, some of them
would be in sad straits to get through
the winter on their individual earnings.
Before the men start on their voyage
in the spring, they rent small patch
ef ground and seed 1t in wheat. Dur
ing the months of her husbands abb
sence the wife and children do all the
work that would have fallen to the
man had he been at home. The wheat
is harvested by them and small area.
devoted to buckwheat or vegetables. is
attended to. Usually, a bit Of land is
seeded in fax.
They are famous helpmeets. indeed,
these brown-faced, strong-limbed fish
ers' wives They seem to think that
after marriage their highest duty on
earth is to wait on their husbands and
make them happy; and who can say
that they are wrong in their plsioso-
ply?
So these people go on working out
out their allotted span of life with
cheerfulness. One iorgets, while gaz-